His Majesty's Infantry
Background The founding blocks of the King's Army starts with the enlisted rank; ages 18 to 43, the enlisted soldier begins at Army Recruit (in training), then goes to Private once past training and assigned to a military unit. From there, it goes up: Private First Class, Specialist, Lance Corporal, Corporal, Sergeant, Staff Sergeant, First Sergeant, and can rise as far as Sergeant Major within the army; the only higher rank for non-commissioned officers is Command Sergeant Major, which is the highest staff NCO at the Infantry Division level, and the Sergeant Major of the Army, which oversees all NCOs from a administrative point of view. Mandatory Enlistment & Military Culture As required by the Kingdom of Jod to field a army necessary to protect from the remnants of the Beasts and for the coming Prophecy that seemed that both their own Red Rock Kingdom and Jedi Order seemed to support, it was mandatory for all males to enlist into at least 2 and a half years of military service directly after high school at 18 years of age (all branches including the King's Army and Kingdom's Navy; women are not required to fulfill the mandatory enlistment). Boot Camp (Jod) and their Military Specialty School (Jod), training for their position, would take a combined 6 months to complete, in which case afterwards, they would start their mandatory 2 and a half year enlistment (which then turns into 3 years with training). While many families viewed this as the mark of manhood for their sons---and many fathers support their children with strong passion while in the service---the service time itself provided males with the right to vote and hold government office, from local towns and regions to the Royal Palace aides themselves. Enlistment Perks All government positions required military service to either the King's Army or Kingdom's Navy. If a soldier would enlist for up to at least 6 1/2 years (renew for 4 more years after their first 2 1/2 years), then the government would grant them a free 2 year college education, pending any severe disciplinary marks on their service record and a honorable discharge from the service. If a soldier served 10 1/2 years or more (another reenlistment for 4 years) and retained a relatively clean service record and honorable discharge, then a soldier could get a free 4 year college education and free health insurance for life. While many Jod citizens didn't stay past the 2 1/2 years because of the hard life style, it was mandatory for all former service men and women to be on a immediately reserve notice in times of war for up to 2 more years after they leave the military. A King's Army soldier's pay was low, but considering everything the government provided from soap to food, the low pay was justified. Living conditions were typically hard in the field and on-base barracks weren't nothing to brag about. The Northern, Central, and Eastern Regions are almost the sole suppliers of the King's Army ranks with the Planet of Jod (from there, the Five Planets and Industrial Regions make up the majority of the enlistments); many young people in these regions aspire to be in the army, mostly because of family tradition and local peer pressure from friends. There are exceptions a course and regiments can be raised in the Western and Southern Regions as well on the Planet of Jod, as well as The Twins Regions, Three Jewels Regions, and the heavily Navy favored Line Region. A King's Army Soldier has a American Civil War-era mindset. Unlike the Navy Guard (see below), the King's Army is closed off to women except for Army Intelligence, Army Medical (nurses and doctors), and Army Science Department. While this has caused much tension on the political playing field, the army had held this policy in place for thousands of years. Many blame this to sexism within the Royal Court.